Flexible sealing strip

ABSTRACT

A flexible sealing strip applied to a long soft opening of an airtight or watertight bag is revealed. The flexible sealing strip includes a long cut portion, a first plate portion and a second plate portion formed integrally on two sides of the long cut portion in a length direction respectively, and a fastening portion arranged at two ends thereof. The long soft opening is opened when the first and the second plate portions are bent flexibly and away from each other relative to the long cut portion. The long soft opening is closed when the first and the second plate portions are turned back to the original state, parallel to each other in the length direction. Next the flexible sealing strip is rotated 360 degrees relative to the long soft opening and bent so that the fastening portion is secured. Therefore the bag is sealed firmly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a sealing structure, especially to a flexible sealing strip applied to an opening of an airtight or watertight bag for better airtightness or watertightness of the bag.

There is a plurality of sealing structures of watertight bag or airtight bag such as an inflatable mattress available now. For example, the sealing structures can be interlocking ribs revealed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,657, U.S. Pat. No. 7,884,412, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,827,556, closure clip in U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,222, or roll-down closure in U.S. Pat. No. 8,978,693. The roll-down closure is formed by webbing connected to a flexible plastic piece or metal piece and then fixed by a common fastener such as quick release buckle, Velcro hook loop, etc.

However, the interlocking ribs and the closure clip are easy to be opened by an external force. The closure clip is even broken apart while being opened. As to roll-down closure in U.S. Pat. No. 8,978,693, the opening is sealed first and then the sealing is further enhanced by fasteners. Yet the structure is complicated so that the manufacturing and assembly costs are higher. In order to solve the above problems, there is room for improvement and a need to provide a novel sealing structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a flexible sealing strip having a simple structure and high practical value.

In order to achieve the above object, a flexible sealing strip with a certain length and applied to an opening of an airtight or watertight bag according to the present invention includes a long cut portion, a first plate portion, a second plate portion and a fastening portion. The long cut portion is arranged at a middle part of the flexible sealing strip in a length direction thereof. The length of the long cut portion is smaller than that of the flexible sealing strip. Each of two ends in the length direction of the long cut portion is disposed with a chamfer. The first plate portion is located on one of two sides of the long cut portion, along the length direction of the long cut portion and is connected to a first edge of the long soft opening of the bag. The second plate portion is located on the other side of the long cut portion, opposite to the side with the first plate portion, attached to a second edge of the long soft opening of the bag and integrally formed with the first plate portion. The fastening portion consists of a first fastener and a second fastener secured to each other and arranged at two ends in the length direction of the flexible sealing strip respectively.

The first edge of the long soft opening is moved toward one direction along with the first plate portion and the second edge of the long soft opening is moved to the opposite direction along with the second plate portion when the first plate portion and the second plate portion are bent flexibly and away from each other with respect to the long cut portion. Thus the long soft opening of the bag is in an opened state.

The first edge and the second edge of the long soft opening are moved along with the first plate portion and the second plate portion respectively to be in a horizontal state when the first plate portion and the second plate portion are flexibly turned back to the original state relative to the long cut portion, parallel to each other in the length direction. Thus the long soft opening of the bag is closed in the length direction horizontally.

The flexible sealing strip is rotated after being turned back to the length direction horizontally so that the first edge and the second edge of the long soft opening of the bag are also rotated toward the bag at least 360 degrees along with the flexible sealing strip. Then the flexible sealing strip is bent flexibly so as to make the first fastener and the second fastener of the fastening portion secure to each other. Thereby the long soft opening of the bag is closed more tightly. The sealing structure of the present invention is simple and practical.

The first fastener is arrow-shaped and having a head part and a neck part while the second fastener is a T-shaped slot including a straight slot in the length direction and a transverse slot communicating with the straight slot. The head of the first fastener is passed through the T-shaped slot from one side of the second fastener to the other side of the second fastener so that the head is stopped and locked on the other side of the second fastener and the fastening portion is in a fastened state.

The fastening portion is fixed on the two ends of the flexible sealing strip. The first fastener or the second fastener of the fastening portion can be a quick release buckle, a Velcro Hook Loop or a button.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing showing a perspective view of an embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the embodiment in FIG. 1 according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing showing an opened state of a bag that is an inflatable mattress of an embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing showing a closed state of the embodiment in FIG. 3 according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing showing an opened state of a bag that is a waterproof bag of an embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing showing a closed state of the embodiment in FIG. 5 according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged view of a longitudinal cross sectional view of an embodiment in an opened state according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view of a longitudinal cross sectional view of an embodiment in a closed state according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic drawing showing an embodiment in a closed state is rotated toward the bag according to the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged view of a longitudinal cross sectional view of an embodiment in FIG. 9 according to the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic drawing showing an embodiment in FIG. 9 being rotated and then bent to be closed according to the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of an embodiment in which a fastening portion is formed by an arrow-shaped male fastener and a female fastener with a T-shaped slot according to the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a fastening portion (quick release buckle) according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Refer from FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, a flexible sealing strip 10 of the present invention is revealed. The flexible sealing strip 10 with a certain length is applied to a long soft opening 21 of an airtight or watertight bag 20. The flexible sealing strip 10 includes a long cut portion 11, a first plate portion 13, a second plate portion 14 and a fastening portion 15.

The long cut portion 11 is disposed on a middle part of the flexible sealing strip 10 in the in the direction of the length thereof. The length of the long cut portion 11 is smaller than that of the flexible sealing strip 10. Each of two ends in the length direction of the long cut portion 11 is disposed with a chamfer 12 for reducing stress concentration and preventing tears caused by being dragged. The shape of the chamfer 12 is not limited. The chamfer 12 can be a fillet 12, as shown in FIG. 1 or a bevel (not shown in figure) such as 30 degree bevel, 45 degree bevel, or 60 degree bevel.

Refer from FIG. 7 to FIG. 10, the first plate portion 13 is located on one of two sides of the long cut portion 11, along the length direction of the long cut portion 11 and is connected to a first edge 22 of the long soft opening 21 of the bag 20. The second plate portion 14 is located on the other side of the long cut portion 11, opposite to the side with the first plate portion 13 and is attached to a second edge 23 of the long soft opening 21 of the bag 20. The first plate portion 13 and the second plate portion 14 are integrally formed for simplifying the structure and the reducing manufacturing and assembly costs.

The bag 20 is made from one of the materials including thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and nylon.

Refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 11, the fastening portion 15 consists of a first fastener 15 a and a second fastener 15 b secured to each other and arranged at two ends in the length direction of the flexible sealing strip 10 respectively. As shown in FIG. 11, the flexible sealing strip 10 is bent flexibly so that the first fastener 15 a and the second fastener 15 b are tightened together. In this embodiment, the fastening portion 15 is integrally formed on two ends in the length direction of the flexible sealing strip 10 for simplifying production and reducing cost. The first fastener 15 a is an arrow 30 including a head part 31 and a neck part 32 while the second fastener 15 b is a T-shaped slot 40 formed by a straight slot 41 in the length direction and a transverse slot 42 communicating with the straight slot 41. The head 31 of the first fastener 15 a is passed through the T-shaped slot 40 from one side of the second fastener 15 b to the other side of the second fastener 15 b. Thus the head 31 is stopped and locked on the other side of the second fastener 15 b and the fastening portion 15 is in the fastened state.

Refer to FIG. 12, another embodiment of a fastening portion 15 is revealed. The fastening portion 15 includes a first fastener 15 a and a second fastener 15 b secured with each other. The function of this embodiment is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 11. The difference between this embodiment and the above one is in the shape of the T-shaped slot 40 of the second fastener 15 b of the fastening portion 15.

Moreover, the first fastener 15 a and the second fastener 15 b of the fastening portion 15 can be replaced by conventional fasteners such as a quick release buckle shown in FIG. 13. Besides the quick release buckle, the fastening portion 15 can also be a Velcro Hook Loop (not shown in figure) or a button, (not shown in figure) etc. The fastening portion 15 can be, but not limited to be, connected to the flexible sealing strip 10 by rivets 15 c, as shown in FIG. 13. Thus the fastening portion 15 is fixed on the two ends of the flexible sealing strip 10.

Refer to FIG. 3, FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the first edge 22 of the long soft opening 21 is moved toward a certain direction (upward direction in FIG. 3) along with the first plate portion 13 and the second edge 23 of the long soft opening 21 is moved to the opposite direction (downward direction in FIG. 3) along with the second plate portion 14 when the first plate portion 13 and the second plate portion 14 are bent flexibly and away from each other with respect to the long cut portion 11. Thus the long soft opening 21 of the bag 20 is in an opened state, allowing users to fill air or other things such as water into an inner space (as an arrow A in FIG. 3 indicates) of the bag 20, Therefore the bag 20 is used as an airtight or watertight bag.

Refer to FIG. 4, FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, the first edge 22 and the second edge 23 of the long soft opening 21 are moved along with the first plate portion 13 and the second plate portion 14 respectively to be in a horizontal state the when the first plate portion 13 and the second plate portion 14 are flexibly turned back to the original state relative to the long cut portion, parallel to each other in the length direction. Thus the long soft opening 21 of the bag 20 is closed in the length direction horizontally.

Refer to FIG. 9, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, the flexible sealing strip 10 is rotated after the flexible sealing strip 10 being turned back to the length direction horizontally so that the first edge 22 and the second edge 23 of the long soft opening 21 of the bag 20 are also rotated toward the bag 20 at least 360 degrees along with the flexible sealing strip 10 (as an arrow B in FIG. 9 indicates). Thus the long soft opening 21 is rotated to be the closed state again. Then the flexible sealing strip 10 is bent flexibly (as an arrow C in FIG. 11 indicates) so as to make the first fastener 15 a and the second fastener 15 b of the fastening portion 15 secure to each other. Thereby the long soft opening 21 of the bag 20 is closed more tightly.

Refer from FIG. 3 to FIG. 6, the bag 20 can be an inflatable mattress 20 a or a waterproof bag 20 b. When the bag 20 is an inflatable mattress 20 a, the long soft opening 21 is further disposed with an air valve 50. The air valve 50 is formed by a first fabric layer 51 and a second fabric layer 52 connected to each other. One end of the first and the second fabric layers 51, 52 close to the long soft opening 21 are connected to the first and the second edges 22, 23 respectively while the other ends thereof are free ends. When the long soft opening 21 of the inflatable mattress 20 a is opened for users to inflate the inflatable mattress 20 a, the first fabric layer 51 and the second fabric layer 52 of the air valve 50 are pushed by air so that the air is filled into the inflatable mattress 20 a (as the arrow A in FIG. 3 indicates). When the user stops inflating, the first fabric layer 51 and the second fabric layer 52 of the air valve 50 are turned back to the closed state owing to internal pressure of the inflatable mattress 20 a. Thus the air is unable to flow out from the long soft opening 21.

Compared with the structure available now, the flexible sealing strip 10 has the following advantages:

(1) The flexible sealing strip 10 is formed integrally. This is not only reducing production cost but also suitable for mass production. (2) Each of two ends of the long cut portion in the length direction thereof is disposed with a chamfer for preventing tears caused by being used multiple times. Thus the durability of the product is improved and airtight/watertight reliability is increased. (3) The flexible sealing strip 10 for sealing has simple structure so that it's easy to use and people's desire to buy is aroused.

Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, and representative devices shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A flexible sealing strip having a certain length and applied to an opening of an airtight or watertight bag comprising: a long cut portion that is arranged at a middle part of the flexible sealing strip in a length direction thereof and having a length smaller than a length of the flexible sealing strip, and a chamfer disposed on each of two ends in the length direction thereof; a first plate portion that is located on one of two sides of the long cut portion, along the length direction of the long cut portion and connected to a first edge of the long soft opening of the bag; a second plate portion that is located on the other side of the long cut portion, opposite to the side with the first plate portion, attached to a second edge of the long soft opening of the bag, and integrally formed with the first plate portion; and a fastening portion having a first fastener and a second fastener secured to each other and arranged at two ends in the length direction of the flexible sealing strip respectively; wherein the first edge of the long soft opening is moved toward one direction along with the first plate portion and the second edge of the long soft opening is moved to the opposite direction along with the second plate portion when the first plate portion and the second plate portion are bent flexibly and away from each other with respect to the long cut portion; thus the long soft opening of the bag is in an opened state; wherein the first edge and the second edge of the long soft opening are moved along with the first plate portion and the second plate portion respectively to be parallel to each other in the length direction when the first plate portion and the second plate portion are flexibly turned back to the original state relative to the long cut portion; thus the long soft opening of the bag is closed in the length direction; wherein the flexible sealing strip is rotated after the flexible sealing strip being turned back to the length direction horizontally so that the first edge and the second edge of the long soft opening of the bag are also rotated toward the bag at least 360 degrees along with the flexible sealing strip; then the flexible sealing strip is bent flexibly so as to make the first fastener and the second fastener of the fastening portion secure to each other; thereby the long soft opening of the bag is closed.
 2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening portion is integrally formed at two ends of the flexible sealing strip.
 3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first fastener is arrow-shaped and having a head part and a neck part while the second fastener is a T-shaped slot including a straight slot in the length direction and a transverse slot communicating with the straight slot; wherein the head of the first fastener is passed through the T-shaped slot from one side of the second fastener to the other side of the second fastener so that the head is stopped and locked on the other side of the second fastener and the fastening portion is in a fastened state.
 4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening portion is fixed at two ends of the flexible sealing strip by the first fastener and the second fastener; either the first fastener or the second fastener is selected from the group consisting of a quick release buckle, a Velcro Hook Loop and a button respectively.
 5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first plate portion and the second plate portion of the flexible sealing strip are connected to the first edge and the second edge of the long soft opening of the bag respectively by a means selected from the group consisting of glue, heat fusion, high frequency melting, and sewing.
 6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bag is made from at least one material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and nylon or their combinations.
 7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bag is an inflatable mattress.
 8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bag is a waterproof bag.
 9. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the long soft opening is further disposed with an air valve when the bag is an inflatable mattress; the air valve is formed by a first fabric layer and a second fabric layer connected to each other; one end of the first fabric layer and one end of the second fabric layer close to the long soft opening are connected to the first edge and the second edge respectively.
 10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the chamfer is a fillet.
 11. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the chamfer is a bevel. 